Staff Picks!

Staff Picks!

This week in staff picks, Ethiopia makes a strong showing from the Crown team. The Trading team found two Colombian offerings that represent the coffee rainbow that country has to offer, from the humble Supremo 17/18 to the much vaunted zero-defect vacuum sealed microlot. Rwanda and Sumatra aren’t far behind, and the result is a multifarious cornucopia of coffee choices!

Taste in coffee is unapologetically subjective. There are some coffees we can all agree upon as being special, and for the Royal Trading Team and The Crown, those are the types of coffee that become Crown Jewels. Then there are coffees we know in our heart of hearts to be just right for someone. Some coffees like this might fly under the Crown Jewel radar, but are still worth our time and effort.

Enter the Staff Pick. Many of you with established accounts know your trader very well, and have come to understand that their recommendations come from years of experience. Some others are just finding their kindred tasting souls, and this is our way of showing you what we appreciate in coffee. Remember the Staff Picks section at the video store? Well, video rentals fell out of favor a few years back, but we know a few people who still like to drink coffee… read on for the coffees we found exciting this week!

Richard Sandlin: 40194 – Ethiopia Yirgacheffe 2 FTO Adame Gorbota GrainPro

“This double certified Ethiopian gem comes from the Adame Garbota Cooperative, a base cooperative within one of the largest Fair Trade Certified organizations in the world, YCFCU. We taste black tea, basil, cherry, chocolate & sweet florals.”

Peter Radosevich: 40176 – Colombia Huila Supremo 17/18

“No frills fresh Colombia blender – good acidity and clean. Not the pageant winner but a great working coffee.”

Alex Mason: 39676-2 – Colombia Carlos Eduardo Tejedor Borja Vacuum Sealed 24kg Box

“Over 1000 submissions from all of Colombia; 70 lots qualified and 26 finalists made it to auction. This auction lot was only 687 pounds! Time to roast up and serve something truly exclusive and unique for the holidays. Extremely clean with tart lemon lime sparkle and a white peach sweetness on the finish. You’ll be taking this one home for yourself!”

John Cossette: 40052 – Sumatra FTO Takengon ASKOGO

“Spicy, herbal, and exotic, rich, sweet and gamey. A bold coffee for the risk taking edge dwellers and the comfort food kitchen table denizens.”

Chris Kornman: 38790 – Ethiopia Yirgacheffe 3 Chelba Natural GrainPro

“In a year full of spectacular dry processed Ethiopian coffees, this Grade 3 stands out as one of the best. Just recupped it and it’s so clean and balanced and sweet, full of ripe fruits like strawberries and mango.”

Amanda Amato: 39864 – Rwanda Nyamagabe Karambi GrainPro

“Rwanda is one of my favorite coffee origins. I’m always excited to see new crop come in and this coffee is exactly what I’ve been waiting for. It’s sweet, with yellow plum and raisin brightness, backed with baking spices and floral accents.”